


Take Me Home Again

by seekrest



Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: (they just refuse to accept it), Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Michelle Jones is a Little Shit, Ned is the only one who uses it, Peter Parker is a Little Shit, and there was only one bed, and they were (almost) roommates, canon nudged to the left, omg they were (almost roommates), there’s only one brain cell in this outfit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-27 20:40:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30128526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekrest/pseuds/seekrest
Summary: Michelle laughs which just makes Peter smile, shaking her head as she says, “Can’t stand you sometimes.”“So you say and yet…” Peter says, trailing off and motioning to the two of them— Michelle laughing again at the reality that here they are, eating breakfast in her kitchen like the tradition that it is.“Someday I’m gonna learn,” she says, grinning at him— following up with the thing he always does, just as much a part of their routine as Peter winks.“But not anytime soon.”
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Ned Leeds, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Comments: 28
Kudos: 73





	1. got a lot to not do, let me kill it with you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tvfanatic97](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tvfanatic97/gifts).



> Happy birthday T!
> 
> You’re the greatest. As promised, a will to live in the form of PeterMJ… all wrapped up in some of your favorite tropes ;)

_BUZZ. BUZZ. BUZZ._

Michelle groans, wincing slightly as she lifts her head up and reaches for her phone on the side table next to her bed-- unplugging it from the charger and blearily blinking at the screen.

 **[1:52am] Pete** : u up?

Michelle wakes up a little more at that, rubbing her eyes to make sure she read the message right when another pops in.

 **[1:52am] Pete** : sry that sounds weird. im tired. you home?

How Peter was able to go back and forth between proper English and text speak was beyond her, but now that Michelle’s brain is functioning a little more she can understand his tone-- moving her covers back and moving to plant her feet on the floor as she texts him back. 

**[1:52am] MJ** : yeah where are you?

Michelle stares at the screen for a little bit before hearing a knock in the opposite direction of her door, glancing over to the window that was closest to her couch and laughing as she sets her phone aside.

She gets out of bed, rubbing her hands up and down her arms because the heating is terrible in her tiny studio apartment and if Peter’s out here like an idiot, she doesn’t have time to grab a robe lest some nosy neighbor look out their window at almost 2am and see Spider-Man hanging outside of her apartment.

Because that’s exactly what Peter’s doing, perched right up by her window knocking slightly and with the white eyes of the mask staring at her-- Michelle sighing as she unlocks the window and lifts it up.

She backs up to let Peter in, Peter stepping in with the kind of grace that felt so unlike Peter in his daily life-- closing and locking the window behind him as she asks, “What was it this time?”

“Huh?” Peter asks, ripping the mask off. His cheeks are flushed and his hair simultaneously looks matted and windswept as he looks at her. Michelle hadn’t bothered to turn on any lights because the sooner they end this conversation, the sooner she can head right back to bed-- sighing as she repeats, “What was it this time?”

Michelle snorts as Peter’s shoulders slump, slinging off his backpack onto the ground as she amends, “Or _who_.”

“I don’t know her name but whoever she is, she’s _loud_ ,” Peter says with a snort, Michelle smirking as Peter rubs a hand over his face. “I thought he was killing her at first, honestly.”

“If you can’t tell the difference between someone crying out in pain and someone who came then I feel _bad_ for your partners,” Michelle says with a snort, Peter bringing his hand down and glaring at her as she continues, “Whatever. Take a shower before you sleep on my couch again. I couldn’t get the smell out of there the last time.”

“I told you that I could have Tony pay for it,” Peter says, the one time that he was willing to use any of Tony Stark’s money being when it involved cleaning up his own messes.

Michelle shakes her head, turning back to her bed and walking to it as she says, “And have him end up buying me an entirely different furniture set? Hard pass.” 

“He wouldn’t buy you an entirely different--”

Michelle turns her head back to him, fixing him with a look that shuts him up-- seemingly remembering the same thing she does as she says, “And May’s new dining table was…?”

“A belated birthday gift?” Peter says weakly, Michelle rolling her eyes before crawling right back into bed-- pulling the covers back over her and closing her eyes.

“Shower, please.”

Peter laughs, soft and quiet as she hears him open up the dresser/end table in her living room, no doubt grabbing a pair of sweatpants and a shirt that he could sleep in as he says, “Night, MJ.”

“Night, Pete,” Michelle says as she sinks further into the pillow, trying to get herself to fall back asleep quickly. 

It’s not until the water’s running and the door to her little bathroom is closed that Michelle finally starts to relax, glad that Peter’s safe and actually doing what he’s told. 

She wouldn’t expect that he wouldn’t, for as many times as he’s stayed over because of this exact reason has proven on more than one occasion that May Parker had raised a gentleman. 

It still didn’t fail to crack her up that of all people, that Peter Parker was the one who was constantly getting sexiled and having to stay over at her place. 

If she didn’t have such strong reservations about the existence of billionaires and the use of Tony Stark’s wealth to cover any and all problems, she’d _almost_ consider nudging Peter to ask about getting him his own place. Though even if Michelle didn’t have her own hang ups, she knows Peter well enough to understand that he wouldn’t take it either-- having nothing to do with pride and everything to do with a sense of having accomplished something because of his own two hands, not handed to him. 

Michelle’s still thinking of the irony of Peter Parker having to spend the night over at her place more often than not because of it as she drifts back into dreamland, falling asleep before Peter’s even out of the shower.

* * *

Michelle wakes up to the smell of food in her kitchen.

Or, more accurately, she wakes up to the smell of something _burning_.

“Ow. Fuck. Dammit,” she hears Peter swear, smiling to herself as she slowly stretches-- hearing Peter whisper to her cookware and fiddle with the gas stove. 

“You don’t have to do that,” Michelle says for what feels like the thousandth time because it probably is, Peter predictably responding, “Do what?”

Michelle sits up, rubbing the sleep out of her eye and looking over to see Peter in her kitchen-- hair still a mess, now from sleep, laughing at the shirt he chose and at the way the sweatpants he has on are just a little too short on him.

“Ask you about your feminist agenda?” She asks, nodding towards the shirt he has on. 

Peter looks down, pan of something that could almost pass for eggs in one hand and a spatula in the other, smiling as he looks back up to her.

“Didn’t I buy you this shirt? During the trip to DC our senior year?” 

“Pretty sure that was Ned but I’ll be sure to let him know you tried to take credit,” Michelle says with a laugh, stretching a little more now as Peter laughs. 

“It’s mean that you guys talk about me behind my back,” Peter says as Michelle brings her hands down, looking back at Peter with a smirk.

“We _don’t_ talk about you behind your back. Shit Pete, does your guilt complex just automatically make you believe that _everything’s_ about you or…” 

Peter has the decency to look a little sheepish at that, Michelle getting out bed and saying, “I thought you knew by now that if we wanted to talk about you, we’d do it to your face.”

“Oh I’m well aware,” Peter deadpans as Michelle laughs again, walking over to where he is in the kitchen and eyeing the mess that he’s made. “I am not prepared for this weekend at all.”

Michelle rolls her eyes as she gets closer to him. 

“You deserve it. But seriously, Pete. You don’t have to make me breakfast anytime you stay over,” Michelle says, not even bothering to hide the look of mild disgust as Peter glances over his shoulder-- grinning at her.

“It’s the least I can do. I can’t keep crashing at May’s and it’s not like anyone else really knows about,” he nods, “you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Michelle says, side stepping him to make herself some coffee only to see that Peter’s already made some-- pouring herself a cup as she turns to lean against the counter as Peter turns off the gas. 

“You hungry?” He says, holding the still hot frying pan in his hand and opening her cabinets with his other-- Michelle laughing and putting down the cup of coffee she still hasn’t even gotten to take a sip of, easily moving away from the hot pan as she walks over to the side.

“Hungry? Yes. Interested in breaking my flatware? No. Let me help,” she says as Peter takes a step back, letting her grab whatever plates it is that she wants him to use. 

It was nice of him, in the abstract, to make her breakfast as a thank you for staying over at her place. Reality though meant that Peter’s habit of running through life like a hurricane translated into making a mess of her kitchen, her bathroom, and her apartment. 

Even if he ended up cleaning up after himself, it always seemed like Peter saw the path of least resistance, gave it the finger and went flying in the other direction.

“What’d you make?” Michelle asks, because her own mother raised her right too-- seeing the glee in Peter’s eyes as he bounced around the mush that slightly resembled eggs in the pan.

“A mushroom, tomato and spinach omelette,” he says with a grin, Michelle’s eyebrows raising as she pointedly looks at the pan then back up to Peter-- passing him a plate as he follows her line of sight.

“Okay it’s more of a scramble at this point but it’ll taste the same,” Peter says with completely unearned confidence considering Michelle’s had his cooking dozens of times before, holding her tongue because she’s learned to have a little more tact as she’s gotten older as Peter continues, “And toast.”

Peter divvys up a portion of the egg-stuff onto her plate before handing it back to her, frantically glancing around before he finds her toaster-- Michelle barely biting back a laugh since he always acted as if the toaster was going to be somewhere different this time. 

“I got it,” Michelle says with a smile, grabbing the now cold toast and putting it on her plate before side-stepping him again-- the two of them dancing around in her small kitchen as she moves to grab the butter from her fridge.

Peter busies himself with dividing up his own portion as she does, buttering the toast he’d made for himself as well and passing it over to him as they stand in the kitchen-- a tradition just as much as it was for Peter to stay over, just as much as it was for her to ask him why he’s making breakfast. 

He hands her a fork, grabbing his own as they dig in-- leaning against opposite sides of the counter. 

They take a bite at the same time and to Michelle’s surprise, it actually _does_ taste pretty good. She must be getting worse at her poker face cause she doesn’t miss the way Peter’s eyes light up as he watches her chew her food. 

“Well?” He asks with just a hint of smugness.

“Damn Parker, since when can you cook?”

Peter mocks offense, Michelle taking another bite of the eggs and pleasantly surprised once again that they actually aren’t half-bad-- for once actually tasting better than they looked as he says, “I’ve _always_ been able to cook.” 

Michelle gives him a look, Peter smirking as he says, “I didn’t say I could cook _well_.”

“I smelled something burning when I woke up,” she says, looking over to the rest of the kitchen suspiciously as Peter laughs. 

“Yeah, that _might_ be the coffee,” Peter says before shoveling some more eggs in his mouth, quickly chewing and swallowing down his food as he nods over to the coffee pot, “Kinda glad you didn’t take a drink yet cause I can’t make any promises that it’s any good.” 

Michelle laughs which just makes Peter smile, shaking her head as she says, “Can’t stand you sometimes.”

“So you say and yet…” Peter says, trailing off and motioning to the two of them— Michelle laughing again at the reality that here they are, eating breakfast in her kitchen like the tradition that it is.

“Someday I’m gonna learn,” she says, grinning at him— following up with the thing he always does, just as much a part of their routine as Peter winks. 

“But not anytime soon.”

* * *

When Peter leaves for his first class, Michelle is still lazily getting ready for her own— laughing to herself that Peter had somehow gotten suckered into taking early classes this semester when her phone buzzes.

Michelle glances over to the phone screen that’s propped up on the sink of her bathroom as she brushes her teeth, smiling as she puts the call on speaker, answering with a garbled, “H’llo?”

“Morning!” Ned’s cheery voice rings out, “Where will you be today around… 1 o’clock?”

Michelle finishes brushing her teeth, spitting into the sink and rinsing her mouth out before saying, “1? I thought you weren’t getting in till later tonight?”

“I lied,” Ned says, making Michelle laugh as she rinses off her toothbrush before grabbing the phone as Ned continues, “I just have a seminar this morning and half the class is ditching anyway for the long weekend.”

“And here I thought _you_ were the good student, Leeds. Peter’s a bad influence on you.”

“Peter’s not even _here_ ,” Ned says with a laugh as Michelle grins, taking him out of the bathroom and setting her phone on her dresser as she puts on some jeans. “Besides, is it _really_ being a bad student if the one who was supposed to present isn’t even showing up? If anything, I’m just being more proactive about my time.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, excuses. Excuses,” Michelle jokes, the light teasing just making Ned laugh since they both know that the sooner Ned gets here— the sooner they get to hang out again, “I got a class that runs a little after noon but then I’m free the rest of the day.”

“Perfect. Wanna meet at Pour Over then? I gotta drop my stuff off at my ma’s so by the time I get there, should be the same time.”

“You _could_ stay with me,” Michelle offers even if she knows Ned won’t take her up on it. While no one had been surprised when the three of them got accepted to MIT, it _was_ surprising that of the three of them, _Ned_ was the one who actually made the leap— considering how close he was to his family and the idea of leaving New York felt fine as a possibility right up until it became a reality.

The scholarships he got ended up being too good to pass up, rightfully guessing though that Ned would want to spend anytime he wasn’t hanging out them with his family— confirmed when he says, “Nah. Ma’s got some of my cousins coming by to say hi. You’d think I moved across the country instead of four hours away.”

“Feels the same to us, Leeds. Hard living out here without you,” Michelle says fondly, Ned’s laughter making her smile as she pulls a shirt over her head.

“Careful, MJ. Sounds like you’re getting softer in your old age.”

“Fuck you” she says with a laugh, imagining Ned’s smile on the other end.

“See you at 1?” He deflects, Michelle smirking to herself as she glances at herself in the mirror— feeling happy and content and ready for a weekend of fun that she _desperately_ needs more of. 

Ned’s always been her favorite wingman since Peter tends to horrifically fail in that department— warding off any potential dates because they always frustratingly believed they were together. 

It’s senior year, Michelle is stressed beyond belief, hasn’t had sex in months and if there’s anything that she needs right now— it’s a weekend of some stupid fun with two of her very best friends. 

Michelle smiles, ready for whatever the weekend will throw at her. 

“Sounds great.”


	2. we might be hollow but we're brave

“This place is loud.”

“It’s a party, Leeds,” Michelle says with a wink, Ned rolling his eyes as he takes a sip of his drink, “that’s kinda the point.”

“What happened to the MJ who hated parties?” He bounces back, bringing his drink down. They’re on the peripheral, not quite involved with everything that’s going on at the center.

A metaphor for their lives in a lot of different ways, really.

“I never hated parties,” she says simply, Ned scoffing as she takes a drink.

“You looked viscerally unhappy at every single party I ever saw you at in high school,” Ned says, furrowing his eyebrows as Michelle stares at him knowingly.

“And yet you saw me at every single one of those parties. Tell me this Leeds, when have I ever done anything I didn’t want to?”

Ned’s eyebrows smooth out over that— a slightly awed expression that makes her smile as his mouth makes a little “o” before turning into a smirk. 

“Touche.”

Michelle brings her drink down to clink it with his before they look out over to the drunken undergrads in front of them.

It was unsurprising, even for Ned being one of her very best friends, to think that she didn’t like parties. It was certainly part of her persona in high school, to give off the impression that she didn’t care when she really cared so deeply that it hurt. 

Michelle hadn’t had a lot of luck getting close to people growing up, not when they thought she was too weird and when she felt out of place within her own family-- depending on which side she was visiting. It was an old habit of hers to put up those kind of walls, convinced that to push people away would be the better alternative than to risk letting them in. 

She couldn’t rightfully say she’d  _ outgrown _ that-- defense tactics didn’t go away with age, but time and experience and unlearning-- but Michelle had gotten a lot better about wanting to push people away. 

Mostly, anyway.

The party they’re at isn’t much to write home about nor would it have been her first choice but it was the closest one to Ned’s apartment and while Ned was a grown ass man-- she knew that he wasn’t intending on going anywhere else but back to his mom’s place tonight.

The thought of that reminds her of something she’d been meaning to ask him, nudging Ned with her elbow as she asks, “Hey, whatever happened to that guy in your dynamics class?”

“Milo?” He asks, getting that same sheepish smile that he always does when he has a crush. “He’s cool.”

“Cool like you see him in class a few times or cool like you’re seeing him  _ after _ class?” 

Ned smirks at her, Michelle gearing up to lay into him since he likes to tease  _ her _ constantly when they’re interrupted with a familiar, “Hey!”

Michelle and Ned both turn to see none other than Peter-- an hour past fashionably late and walking closer to them with a limp.

“Dude, what the hell?” Ned asks as Peter gets closer to them, Michelle understanding the feeling entirely at seeing Peter not only walking with a limp but having a massive bruise that travels from his right eye, down his cheek and almost to his neck-- the awful lighting of this party only barely covering it up as Peter smiles.

Or tries to, wincing as he says, “It looks worse than it feels.”

“Good cause you look like shit,” Michelle says, her words harsh even if her tone isn’t, “what happened?”

“Nothing important,” Peter says with a wave, moving so that he flanks Michelle on the other side. He folds his arms together, casually leaning against the wall they’re all hanging out by as he continues, “Anything good I missed?”

“Your last bit of common sense. Shit man, we’ve talked about this,” Ned says, sounding more exasperated than annoyed as Peter sighs.

“Ned—"

“No, dude. Come on. Why didn’t you just tell us?” Ned asks, looking even more so like he wants to be anywhere but here. Michelle understands the feeling— not because the party is lame (it is) but because of what Peter is doing and how much it frustrates the both of them.

Peter, as Michelle has learned throughout the years in being his friend, has a bad habit of pretending as if his entire life is a burden. 

It’d be more aggravating if Michelle didn’t know all too well  _ why  _ Peter thinks such a thing. 

“Cause I didn’t wanna ruin the weekend,” Peter says in a tone that’s clear that he  _ genuinely  _ believes this— Michelle rolling her eyes as Ned sighs.

“You know what would ruin the weekend? You passing out from internal bleeding. Come on, let’s go back to MJ’s place,” Ned says with a huff, Michelle laughing as Peter pouts.

“I  _ just  _ got here.”

“Which means you know exactly where the exit is, let’s go,” Ned says teasingly but with just enough bite that Michelle knows as much as Peter does that means it.

Peter makes a face at her, looking like he wants to plead his case with her only to frown when he sees the looks she gives him— his shoulders slumping as he says, “Yeah, okay. Let’s go.” 

Michelle barely holds back a laugh as she follows after her boys, thinking that even years later— some things never change.

* * *

“We should’ve just done  _ this  _ tonight,” Peter says, laid out on the floor and stuffing in yet another slice of pizza into his mouth.

Michelle laugh as Ned says, “Well we would’ve if  _ somebody _ would’ve told us that something else was going on.”

“Well  _ somebody _ didn’t know anything was gonna go on,” Peter says with a huff, sitting up a little to reach for the pizza in the box on Michelle’s little coffee table. The fact that he’s on the floor rather than the couch says something to how difficult Peter likes to make his life, Michelle nudging the pizza box closer to him with her foot as he leans towards it.

It’s only then, halfway through the movie and Peter sprawled out flat on his back that Michelle finally notices what’s particularly weird with this set up.

“Wait, why are you laying down like that?” 

“Laying down like what?” Peter says a little too innocently, Michelle side-eyeing Ned before she sits up. 

“Laying down like your back is shot and you’re trying hard not to show it,” Michelle deadpans, catching Peter’s wince as he eats another slice of pizza.

“Y’u kn’w this is r’lly good--”

“God, some things never change do they?” Ned asks, a mirror of what Michelle had been thinking just hours before. “Did you break something? Strain something? How were you even  _ walking  _ tonight?”

“Sheer force of will and determination,” Peter says without missing a beat, turning his head towards the two of them, “Plus it’s not  _ that _ bad. Just a little pinched nerve, or slipped disc or something.”

“You are genuinely the most annoying person on the planet you know that? Get up,” Michelle says with a sigh, Ned snickering as Peter pouts.

“But I’m comfortable.”

“And you’ll be more comfortable laying on the very expensive mattress that I paid for out of the only savings I had,” Michelle says, handing him a napkin so he can clean his greasy fingers before slowly helping him up.

Peter winces as he does, struggling it seems now to hide how much pain he’s in now that he’s been caught out. 

“Wait, I should shower. I’m-- I smell like pizza and cheap beer and who knows what else.”

“Will you make it to the shower without dying?” Ned asks, simultaneously exasperated and serious as Peter genuinely seems to contemplate it.

“I can promise that I’ll tell you if I think it’s going south?” Peter asks as Michelle goes to grab clothes for him, shoving them in his hands.

“ _ Will _ you?”

“I’ll do my best,” Peter says with a grin, going to salute only to wince again before Michelle gently turns him towards the bathroom.

“Go, please. Then go lay down.”

“Yes  _ mom _ ,” Peter says, sticking his tongue out. Michelle rolls her eyes, Ned backing her up as she says, “Speaking of, you want us to tell May that you’re hiding injuries again?”

“ _ Dude _ ,” Peter says, completely and utterly offended as Michelle and Ned both laugh. “Not cool.”

“What’s not cool is that you’re a grown ass man still refusing to get help. Go.  _ Please _ so Ned and I can finish this movie that you’ve already seen and still insisted on watching.”

“ _ Legally Blonde _ is a classic, okay? Just--”

“ _ Go _ ,” the two of them say in unison, Peter grumbling but doing what he’s told.

It’s not until the shower’s running that Michelle finally comes back to sit down by Ned, plopping down on the couch and sighing.

“I’d ask why he’s like this but I think he’s just  _ like this _ ,” Ned says with a sigh, leaning his head against his hand, “Sorry I left you here to deal with it all the time.”

“Leeds, we’re almost done. You don’t have to keep apologizing for this,” Michelle says with a laugh. “Besides, you’re still debating that offer with the Baxter Building right? You’ll be back in the city before we know it.”

Ned doesn’t respond to that, Michelle slowly looking back over to Ned who has an unreadable expression on his face.

Michelle immediately regrets putting her foot in her mouth, knowing that Ned must’ve had a lot of stress about the job offer and for him to look like he does that he clearly must have not gotten it as she says, “Oh, man I’m sorry. I thought that you…”

Ned glances up, immediately shaking his head as he says, “Oh no, no that’s-- I mean, I got it. Yeah, they-- uh, they offered it to me.”

Michelle waits a beat before asking, “You turned it down?”

“Maybe?” Ned says, tapping his fingers against his lap. “I uh, I know it’s a great offer and it would bring me back  _ here _ with you guys and my family but…”

Ned trails off, Michelle giving him the space to articulate what he wants to say as he continues, “I got an offer from Villa Tech, out in San Bernardino.”

Michelle’s eyebrows raise, Ned immediately rushing forward to say, “It’s got great benefits and like, tons of space for advancement like even beyond the first year. The salary is just  _ unreal _ , and with that, the signing bonus and the fact that they’re willing to pay for my moving expenses…”

“Sounds like a dream gig, Leeds,” Michelle says with a smile, Ned smiling himself as he nods.

“Yeah, it really is.”

“And like you’ve already accepted it?” Michelle asks, holding back her own disappointment that Ned wouldn’t be moving back to the city like they were in high school again-- not when it’s clear that Ned needs affirmation and support than any of her own hang ups and insecurities. 

“I have. I told my ma and dad last week,” Ned says, fiddling with the edge of his shirt, “I was uh, I was waiting till I saw you guys in person you know… to say everything.”

“But me first?” Michelle asks with a smile, Ned grinning before he laughs.

“Yeah, I uh, I think Pete’s gonna be disappointed,” Ned says with a smile that almost looks sad, “I think he was really looking forward to me moving back here.”

_ So was I _ , Michelle thinks but doesn’t say-- thinking already of how much she’s gonna miss Ned Leeds when he’s halfway across the country and not four hours away like they’d always joked. But Ned doesn’t need that, anymore than he needs to focus on what  _ Peter _ would be feeling as she says, “I think he’ll be more excited that you’re following a great lead. I mean, come on. Who  _ gets _ job offers before you’ve even graduated?  _ And _ with paid moving expenses? Shit, Leeds, you hit the jackpot.”

Ned laughs at that, the tension in his shoulders slowly loosening as he says, “Yeah, yeah definitely. Thanks, MJ.”

Michelle winks at him, the two of them hearing the shower stop as Ned shoots her a quick look.

“Maybe  _ don’t _ tell Pete just yet? I was gonna tell you guys together but--”

“Lips are sealed,” Michelle says with a smile, Ned smiling back to her.

He looks back to the movie, Michelle doing the same even if her mind is elsewhere. She still has a million questions, like when he’ll be moving, when he’ll start and if this weekend is significant not just cause it’s been awhile since they’ve seen each other but if it’ll the  _ last _ time they see each other until he comes home for the holidays-- but she saves them up for now, thinking more practically to the assumption of what Ned had said about leaving her and Peter behind in New York. 

Being Peter’s friend sometimes  _ felt _ like a job in and of itself, not so much the secrets-- Michelle’s always kept people’s secrets-- but what this will mean for her and Peter and for the continued situation they have going on. 

It was assumed, mostly from Peter but from Michelle as well, that when Ned graduated and moved back into the city that the three of them would move in together. Peter still stayed in the dorms like the cheapskate he was-- hence the issues with his roommates-- but Michelle’s studio apartment was paid for her by her aunt, so long as she was still in school.

While Michelle had already accepted a position at the MFA program at ESU, it was understood that her aunt’s generosity only extended to undergrad-- knowing that while Aunt Gayle would absolutely continue to help her if needed that at twenty-one, Michelle should arguably take more charge of her own independence and finances. 

The problem, if it could be called one, of Ned being out of the equation is that Michelle would have to redirect their apartment searches-- especially since it would dial down their incomes from three to two, much less the greater question if Peter would still want to live together if it was just the two of them.

It was one thing when it was the three of them but if it was just the two of them, the rumors and belief that they were  _ together _ would only continue to run wild-- not just among their friends and families but their own relatively lackluster love lifes.

Michelle sighs, putting that aside for now and focusing on the movie-- thinking that’s a problem for another day so that she doesn’t waste the one she has  _ now _ with Ned. 

* * *

Peter predictably passes out in her bed not even minutes after laying down, Ned and Michelle hanging out well past the movie’s end until he decides to call it a night-- once again turning down her offer to stay over since he knew his mom had an early morning breakfast planned for him and his sister.

“Gotta get it all in, you know?” Ned says in a way that makes Michelle wish that he wasn’t moving-- keeping it in not just because Peter was still asleep but that it wouldn’t be a necessary thing for Ned to hold.

He already carried too much, thinking about her and about Peter and about Spider-Man even hours away-- Michelle wasn’t going to add to that burden as she smiled. “Definitely.”

By the time Ned leaves, it’s past midnight-- Michelle feeling tired emotionally and physically. She takes her time getting ready for bed, finishing out her skin care routine and fixing her hair-- going to lay out on the couch since Peter’s sprawled out like a literal spider in her bed when she hears, “Em?”

Michelle turns to Peter, seeing him raise his head up-- hair sticking straight up as he looks over his shoulder.

“Wh’t happened?” 

“Ned left,” Michelle whispers, “Go back to sleep.”

“Where,” Peter sits up more, the sleep in an expensive bed and the shower-- and impressive healing powers-- already it seemed working wonders for his back, “Where you sleeping?”

“The couch,” Michelle says simply, Peter frowning as she continues, “I’ll be fine, Pete.”

“MJ…” 

“Peter,” Michelle says, only to sigh when Peter sits up-- scooching over to the other side of the bed before waving towards the empty space.

“Em, please. I won’t be able to sleep if I know you’re on the couch. Come on, it’s the least I can do, it’s your bed anyway.” 

_ You were sleeping just fine a few minutes ago _ , Michelle thinks to herself but relents-- seeing something in Peter’s expression that tells her that if she tries to argue with this that he’ll start being ornery about it.

For as stubborn and determined as Michelle was, she knew Peter was the same-- a battle of wills that she might win but would end up being more trouble than it’s worth. 

Michelle walks over, Peter grinning as she slides underneath the bed. Peter, the ham, actually moves the covers back over her-- gently tucking her in as she laughs.

“Happy?” She asks, snuggling into her pillow with her back to him.

“Yep,” Peter says, sounding sleepy again as he settles on his side of the bed. “Night, MJ.”

“Night, Pete,” she says quietly, thinking that maybe in the grand scheme of things she was  _ overthinking _ their plans for the future. 

Peter clearly didn’t see any problem with them sharing a bed together, just as much as Michelle didn’t. 

If they ended up moving together, making something official that for months had already felt familiar-- then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you saw the rating change and chapter increase, no you didn't ❤️

**Author's Note:**

> Updates every Friday! I love it when people scream at me in the comments. Come hang out with me on [tumblr](https://pursue-solitude.tumblr.com).


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